Palais Royale

Paris, France: Corner of a portion of the first large scale mixed use speculative development in Paris created by the Duke of Orleans and opened in 1784. Designed by Victor Louis between 1781-84, it originally contained sixty identical residential units above a continuous arcade and shops designed to serve "a quotidian carnival of appetites." Unfortunately, the composition breaks street and access continuity on an east-west basis making the tranquil square difficult to access as well as cut off from the surrounding neighborhoods.